Reversible and irreversible differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts

ABSTRACT: Aim: Differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts (Fb) into myofibroblasts (MyoFb) is responsible for connective tissue buildup in myocardial remodeling. We examined reversibility of MyoFb differentiation. Methods and Results: Adult rat cardiac Fb were cultured on a plastic substratum providing mechanical stress, with conditions to obtain different Fb phenotypes. Fb spontaneously differentiated to proliferating MyoFb (p-MyoFb) with stress fiber formation decorated with alpha-smooth muscle actin (M-NM-1-SMA). Transforming growth factor-M-NM-21 (TGF-M-NM-21) promoted terminal differentiation into M-NM-1-SMA positive MyoFb showing near absence of proliferation i.e. non-p-MyoFb (2-fold increase in cell number after 12 days vs 11-fold for p-MyoFb). SD-208, a TGF-M-NM-2-receptor-I kinase blocker, inhi

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

SUBMITTER: Joke Allemeersch 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-51824 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress